Darkness Calling
by Chilord
Summary: The night Buffy died, something awoke on the Hellmouth, and attracted the attention of a certain bored Succubus. Darkstalkers Game Crossover since there's no category for it in games its here in anime, even if its based on the game universe.


Fragments: Darkness Calling

Disclaimer: Darkstalkers belongs to Capcom, Buffy to Joss Whedon/the Networks

Author's Notes: Gaaaah it wouldn't leave me alone. It's pointless, silly, and pretty much crap, but hey, it wouldn't leave me alone. Enjoy

*-*-*

"So, this is where you came to hide," the voice was a silken purr as the shadows around the room darkened and pooled into a feminine silhouette, "My, quite the step down from back home, isn't it?"

Xander Harris groaned softly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, before he spoke, "What do you want Morrigan?"

"What, I can't visit my little brother, who everyone thought was dead, but has been actually hiding out, pretending to be a mortal on the Hellmouth?" the shape responded, until the shadows bleed away, revealing the curvaceous form of a woman, dressed in clinging purple pants and half buttoned white blouse.

Xander studied the emerald eyed, and emerald haired woman in front of him for a moment before grunting just a bit, "Preferably? No."

"Really, Alexander, I'm hurt!" the woman pouted as she casually slipped over and flopped down onto the shoddy excuse for a mattress he called a bed, making a face at him as she shifted uncomfortably, "And, how can you possibly live like this?"

"Shouldn't you be running around Makai?" the boy countered with a glare, "Or, ya know, RUNNING Makai?"

"Meh," the woman responded with a dismissive wave of her wrist, "Too boring. I mean, it's so much more fun to find a good fight. Though, since you left, that have been so disappointingly few."

"So glad to know I was missed," he countered sarcastically, "So, again, what the hell do you want, Morrigan?"

"I was curious," the woman casually purred, her body stretching out in a graceful, sensual manner, "What the big bad Hellmouth opening up, and then, I suddenly sense a flare of an oh so familiar energy and it goes shut. I come out here to investigate, and I find such an INTERESTING situation."

She paused a moment, her eyes fluttering open before she affixed Xander with a feline smirk, "Does she know what you did to her?"

"Does who know what?" Xander responded, his face blank as he stared down at the woman.

"The former Slayer of course!" Morrigan laughed a low, throaty thing, "Does what you did to her? Does she know, she's even less human that she was? Does she know, she's not even a Slayer anymore?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he snapped back, "We have The, one and only, Slayer here," he paused a moment before shrugging slightly, "Well we did until she went to visit her father in LA."

"Oh, please!" the woman laughed softly before fixing him with a look, "You know as well as I do, that when a Slayer dies, they don't come back. That nasty little parasite rips their souls right out of their bodies when it leaves."

"I was asleep Morrigan," the boy immediately shook his head, "I only gave her CPR… then the opening of the Hellmouth woke me up."

"Oh, foolish, foolish little brother, is that what you think?" Morrigan slid up, wrapping her arms around his neck as her lips brushed above her ear, "Consciously or not… you brought her back. You made her one of us. A Slayer, who was made a Darkstalker… Oh the outrage you'll cause when Makai finds out."

He pulled away from her, standing as his eyes suddenly burned crimson, his fingers clenching as he fixed her with a hard glare, "I want nothing to do with Makai , and I want nothing to do with the rest of the Dark. And I will NOT let Makai come for my friends."

"Oh, my sweet, sweet little brother," Morrigan giggled softly as she lounged back, "I wonder if father knew how his little joke, would become so true. A prince of Makai fighting to protect humanity. What will they say, when they figure out your true nature hmm? How will your little pet, react when she learns what you did to her?"

"She won't," he said it simply and softly, his eyes locked onto hers, "She has a hard enough life ahead of her as is."

"Oh, but how long until she notices she's not getting any older hmm?" Morrigan stood up, draping an arm around his shoulder, whispering again into her ear, "How long, until she starts to manifest, hmm? You think here, you'll be able to keep her sealed up? Leaking just enough to mimic those pathetic little Slayer powers hmm? Fighting all these wretched little excuses for vampires?"

"What're you planning?" he turned, locking his eyes with hers as he would reach up, fingers slipping about her wrists and slowly pulling her from the grip she held on his body.

"Why, to have some FUN of course, my dear little brother!" she let off a throaty laugh before pulling back, winking at her as her hair faded from emerald to blonde, eyes dancing as her face youthened until she looked no older than he, "You have until your new school year starts to explain yourself to her and them little brother."

"And if I don't?" he already knew the answer, it was laughing in her eyes as he clenched his fingers tightly against his palms.

"My dear Alexander," she grinned, wickedly at her brother with a wink, "Why, then I get to have the fun of telling them all your dirty little secrets," she paused, laughing happily as the shadows melted back across her body, "See you at school, little brother!"

"Well, crap," Xander pinched the bridge of his nose, "I am so fucking screwed."

"Yes," Morrigan's voice floated about the room, "But, you're making things so very enjoyable for your big sister."

As her laughter faded from the room, Xander flopped down onto the bed and grumbled slightly, "Fuck. Better find Buffy then."

*-*-*

As the sun fell over her body, Buffy Summers relaxed back in the her lounge chair next to the glittering surface of the pool. Her eyes closed, she shifted and relaxed against that gentle warmth, enjoying the peace and quiet. At least, she was until a familiar voice broke through her reverie.

"Hey, how come you don't wear that suit back in Sunnyhell?" the half grin practically bouncing out of the voice.

Her eyes snapping open in a quick series of confused blinks, she turned her head to stare at the boy standing there, "Xander?! What… how did you get here? Why are you here?! And quite drooling over me!"

"Magic, kinda a long story, and no chance in hell," he shot back, chuckling a bit as he winked at her, his thumbs hooking into the belt loops of a pair of black slacks, and an untucked, sky blue dress shirt.

"And, what're you wearing?" she paused a moment, looking him up and down, "Did Willow finally burn your collection of Hawaiian shirts? Wait… Magic?"

"Well, it's complicated," the boy admitted before gesturing to the chair next to her, "Mind if I take a seat?"

Carefully, she gave a short nod of her head, eying his warily, "Though, I expect an explanation on the breaking and entering, because, I know my dad's not here to let you in."

As he sat, he released a slow, deep breath ignoring her question as he shifted nervously in the seat, "Ok, I've got good news, and bad new. The good news, I'm hoping will keep you from killing me when you get the bad news."

"Xander…" the voice was warning, an edge of worried fear in it, "What did you do?"

"Saved your life?" he put forth, gingerly.

"Well, yeah, with the CPR and what not," she shrugged a bit, "I already knew this. You're acting like you did something horrible and evil."

"Well, you see…" he winced quietly, "CPR couldn't save you. The Slayer spirit that inhabited you? When it goes, it rips the soul out of the body it was in while it moves to its next host. Nasty little thing really."

"Uh, you're not making sense Xan," she responded, staring at him as she looked him up and then down, "Still Slay-gal here, and I'm pretty sure I still have my soul."

"You're not The Slayer, or even A Slayer," he corrected quietly, "And yeah, you do have your soul… you're just… not human anymore."

"That's funny," Buffy paused, slowly focusing her attention fully onto her friend, "I thought for a second you said something that sounded suspiciously like I'm not human."

"Well, you, um, aren't," he responded, shifting nervously in his chair as he watched the tension starting to build inside of her body.

"And, if I'm not human anymore, what, exactly, am I?" her brow rose archly on her forehead as she stared hard at him.

"Errr… You mean, other than giving me the distinct impression you're thinking about making a Xander shaped hole in the ground?" he asked nervously shifting on his seat.

"Yes, other than planning on making a Xander shaped hold on the ground," she shot back, emphasizing the planning part of her sentence.

"You're a Darkstalker," he supplied, slowly and carefully watching her reaction, "A souled, generally human looking creature, of great power…"

"I see," she looked at him again, studying him before rolling her eyes slightly, "And how did you reach this conclusion?"

"Because, to save your life, I made you one," he paused a moment, looking nervous as his eyes glanced around the yard, "And I got found out."

She actually laughed then, shaking her head as she watched his face, "Seriously, you almost had me for a moment there, Xander. But, next time you're trying to fool someone? Don't pretend you have some uber mystic powers."

The look on his face stopped her cold however, before she paled slightly, "Come on Xan, since when do you have mystic powers?!"

"Since a long time ago," he admitted quietly, "I sealed myself, who I was, my memories, my powers… to have a nice, quiet life as a human. Until the Master had to go and wake me up with his release and opening up the Hellmouth."

"Ok, so what, you're one of these dark-stocking things?" she was slowly starting to inch, tenser and tenser as she watched him, eyes regarding him warily, "Why're you telling me all this now then? Why not before I left?"

"Well, I was rather hoping to never tell you," he responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "Let you live on, thinking you were the Slayer, me, going back to sleep, thinking I was human. Unfortunately, I don't have a choice in the matter anymore."

"Uh… Huh, and why not?"

"Because, my sister found me," he grunted slightly, twitching just a bit, "And she was bored."

"Sister?" she paused, blinking a bit, "You have a Sister?"

"Older sister, yeah," he winced a bit, "You'll meet her when school starts up. She's transferring in."

"How much older is she?" there was a flash of suspicion on those shining eyes.

"Than me?" he paused a moment, pursing his lips as he thought back, "Mmm, about 20 years or so."

"And how old are you?" she asked flatly, glaring at her friend.

"Um," he paused, lightly pushing his chair a bit further away from her, "Can I plead the fifth on that one?"

"How, OLD?" she was growling now, her eyes flickering slightly brighter as he could feel her power pulsing beneath the seals he'd placed on her.

"I'm still quite young for my kind, thank you very much," he huffed slightly, before slumping back, "Around 300, give or take a few decades."

"You're older than ANGEL?!" she stared at him incredulously.

"But, younger than Darla or the Master were," he offered helpfully, "Seriously, I was quite happy to be an ignorant mortal guy, completely ordinary, but Nooooo, that damned pathetic excuse for a vampire just HAD to go and force open the Hellmouth. Do you know how much of pain it was to close that thing up and make it coincide with his death?"

"YOU closed up the Hellmouth?!" she just stared at him, for a long moment, "Ok, seriously, you expect me to believe all this?"

"What, you thought a tear in the fabric between dimensions just repaired itself?" He rolled his eyes slightly before shrugging just a bit, "Right, yeah… I guess I'm gonna have to step things up a notch?"

"Xander…" she was growling now, sitting up, then standing as she loomed over him, "This is…"

What ever else she was about to say was cut off, as the boy in front of her gestured slightly with the back of his hand, and suddenly she could feel a wave of dizziness washing over her. Suddenly there was a new weight on her head, and at her back as she shifted suddenly felt things she never had before. Eyes widening she quickly looked over her shoulder and stared at the sight of the black and purple bat wings jutting sleekly from her back.

"That's how you look when you're unsealed now," Xander said softly, sighing a bit as he leaned back in his chair, "Believe me Buff, I never wanted you to go through this, I really didn't."

"You… turned me into a demon?!" her eyes flashed in anger as her wings spread reflexively outwards, her eyes boiling with anger as she stared at him.

"Darkstalker," he paused a moment, then flinched a bit before burying his face in his hands, his words barely murmured out as they reached her ears, "Succubus to be precise."

"... You…" she twitched, her eyes burning, "You turned me into a damned sex DEMON?!"

"Why is it, people never fucking listen?" Xander sighed softly before glaring back at Buffy as he stood up, his eyes suddenly flashing red as his own wings flowed from his back, spread wide as he glared at his friend, "While I was trying to save your life, because hey, the parasitic little piece of demon shit that is the Slayer spirit was ripping your soul of your body, killing you, I used powers I wasn't aware I had. You lived, you're no longer the damned Slayer, and you still have your soul."

He paused a moment, before glaring even harder at her, "You are NOT a demon. Now SIT DOWN and I will TRY to explain this to you."

The newly revealed succubus stared at the boy glaring down at her before dropping back down on her chair and pouting softly, "Dammit, this sucks!"

"No shit," he groused as he would slump down himself, "And I am sorry about turning you into a Darkstalker, I really am. But, I kinda prefer having you around, as to, well, not," he paused a moment, visibly looking her up and down with a grin, "Plus, you really do make one good looking succubus."

"Xander..." she tried to glare over the blush that rose to her cheeks, before crossing her arms about her chest and sighing, "Ok, you realize how much this is to suddenly dump on someone?!"

"Mhm," he nodded quietly as he looked at her with those crimson eyes, "I'm aware of it, yes, though, one upside to being a succubus."

"I get demony guys drooling even more after me?" she offered sarcastically as she sent him a flat look.

"Nope," he grinned slightly, "You get a great meal from a good fight."

"But, I thought," she blinked a moment, blushing brightly as she looked away, squirming uncomfortably, "That, you know..."

"Perfectly capable of feeding that way, the mundane way, etc etc etc," he grinned back at her, "I just figured you might enjoy more the getting it while beating the crap out of demons, but, if you want to go the other way, I'd be happy to help."

The lavicious wink he sent her made her blush even brighter, before looking up at him, frowning slightly, "So when I woke up in the cave, feeling stronger than I had before..."

"I had to give you a good sized chunk of my power," he paused stretching out his wings a moment before they shrank back into his body, "Fortunately, open Hellmouth? Bad for keeping yourself all sealed up tight and human. Good for replenishing lost power reserves."

"How do I get rid of these things?" she grumbled softly gesturing to her wings with a sour look on her face.

"Hm? Oh, just will them away and you should be good," he paused a moment, "Though, first thing I'll have to teach you, is power suppression. Can't have anyone figuring out what happened to you."

"Why not?" she shrugged just a bit, "I mean, hello? Not the Slayer anymore, at least from what you tell me."

"Well, lets see," he paused, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he continued, "Maybe because that would mean the idiots at the Watcher's council, among others would do their damnest to try and have you killed?"

"Mmm, not to mention all the people that would want to kill you for being little Alexander's pet," a feminine voice drawled from the side, drawing both sets of eyes to rather amused looking Morrigan in a somewhat conservative, emerald bikini, "He might not look like it, but he picked up quite the list of enemies over the centuries."

"Most of them your exes, if you'll recall," Xander shot back, grumbling slightly, "Buff, Morrigan. Annoying older sister, ex-Slayer. I thought you were giving me end of the summer holiday?"

"Wait... " Buffy paused, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as she interrupted them, "PET?!"

"I lied," the emerald eyed succubus replied sweetly as she grinned back at her brother, "I do, do that. You should know that better than anyone by now."

"Yes, I really should," he agreed, rubbing his eyes slowly, "Sadly, I have this thing called hope, that you'll eventually remember I've treated you with more respect than anyone in Makai put together, and start treating me the same."

"But, where would the fun be in that?" she countered playfully, winking at him before she dipped her toe into the pool, "Oooh, nice."

"Helloooo?!" Buffy twitched slightly, her eyes beginning to glow just a bit as she glared directly at Xander, "Again, PET?!"

"Well, you are his creation," Morrigan supplied easily enough, "And really my dear," she casually leaned down, whispering into the blonde girl's ear, "There are far, far worse to be than the pet of the Prince of Makai."

"PRINCE?!" she stared at the now incredibly uncomfortable Xander who was shrugging back at her, refusing to meet his eyes, "Xander's a PRINCE?!"

"That is generally the title given to the person second in line to a throne when they're male, yes," Morrigan supplied, "Of course, almost everyone back home thinks he's dead."

"Which took quite a good bit of planning and work to pull off," Xander continued, twitching slightly, "If it wouldn't be such a pain in the ass, I'd resurrect that vampire myself, just so I could dust him all in new, and humiliatingly painful ways."

"But he was responsible for this LOVELY family reunion!" Morrigan grinned broadly back at the boy before settling in next to Buffy, "And really, you KNOW you missed me!"

"Only in the sense of wondering why I felt like my life wasn't anywhere near as annoying as it should be," Xander supplied, sighing again as he cupped his face in his hand, "Gah, how'm I gonna explain you to Willow?"

"Your favorite cousin?" Morrigan offered helpfully, her eyes twinkling with mirth, "The one shining point in your bleak and abysmal excuse for a mortal family?"

"She already knows I don't have any shining points in the collection of bums, alcoholics and pan handlers that I call my family," Xander shot back, before pausing, "Hey Buff, think she'd believe she'd traumatized me so much, I suppressed the memory of her existence?"

"I'd believe it," the blonde responded as she eyed the currently viridian tressed woman next to her, "I already want to suppress all this."

"Mmm, oh, relax darling!" Morrigan laughed softly, "I'm going to have sooooo much fun with you!"

"Why do I NOT like the sound of that, Xander?" Buffy asked, slowly trying to inch away from the boy's sister.

"Because, you're smarter than the average blonde?" Xander responded with a slight quirk to his lips, "But, really, she is the best person to teach you about your new body..." he paused, slowly running his eyes up and down her form, "Not that I wouldn't mind teaching you how to properly appreciate what you've got..."

"XANDER!"

"Sadly though," Morrigan cut the petite girl off before she could continue, "He is right. While his powers are similar to yours, you really are best learning from another succubus."

"And don't worry," Xander continued, "As much as she plays around, my sister is firmly rooted in her interest in guys," he paused a moment, twitching slightly as he did so, "She has the list of ex boyfriends to prove it."

"Again, as noted previously," the emerald eyed succubus drawled, "Most of them on his list of enemies."

"Most?" Buffy asked mildly, her brow arching curiously.

"There were the ones I killed myself," she admitted, "Really, there are somethings you just don't do to a lady."

"Still, there was that one that did get away," Xander responded casually, "That Irish drunkard."

"Well, he was human," Morrigan supplied, shrugging just a bit, "And he died in an alley a few weeks later."

"Still sets a bad precedent," Xander reflected, pursing his lips lightly, "Are they still telling tales of what I did to the one after him?"

"Only in the most horrifying sense," Morrigan responded with a shrug, "It does keep the more... squeamish ones at bay," she paused a moment, lightly tapping her lower lip, "At least, it did until you went and 'died' on me. I think they're finally convinced you aren't just laying in wait, waiting for them to let their guards down."

"Ok, just so you know, this is creepy," Buffy said firmly.

"Very much so," Xander agreed with a slight quirk of his lips, "But, still somewhat gratifying. I have a reputation of being a bit… over protective."

"A bit?" Morrigan asked with a slight curve of her lips in amusement, "Alexander, after what you did to poor Demitri…"

"Hey, damned vampire had it coming!" Xander immediately protested, "Trying to overthrow Father AND what he tried to do with you!"

"Mmm, true enough," Morrigan shrugged nonchalantly before smirking just a bit back at him, "Still, he didn't forget… In fact, from what I heard, he took to using that very same move, or as he calls it, the 'Midnight Bliss.'"

"…" Xander stared at Morrigan for a moment, his brow twitching slightly, before he turned his attention to Buffy, "I have mention how much I HATE vampires, right?"

"Demitri's a Makai vampire," the emerald eyed succubus supplied for the confused blonde, "A Darkstalker, far far superior to the trash that typically run around this world."

"Another vampire with a soul?" Buffy offered up, her brows wrinkling in thought.

"Well, yes," Xander admitted, "But, he actually acts like a vampire, not a brooding little ponce," the incubus paused again, frowning slightly, "I've spent entirely too much time around the British."

"But they do have such a wonderful taste," Morrigan purred softly, "Why, I remember this one I meet, James, he was utterly delightful."

"Just leave the Watcher be," Xander responded with a shrug, "I do rather like him, he flusters nicely," he paused a moment, lips twitching just a bit, "Mmm… That does make me what happened with dear Emma though."

"I thought you said that a succubus didn't have to sleep around," Buffy asked, her eyes burning with accusation.

"They don't," Morrigan supplied quickly, before lightly licking her lips, "Doesn't mean we don't enjoy it."

"Nor that our partners don't enjoy it," Xander supplied, "But, when an incubus and a succubus get together…?" he sent a casual leer directly towards Buffy, brows waggling as the blonde neo-Darkstalker blushed brightly.

"My, I see your time as a mortal hasn't exactly dulled your touch, little brother," Morrigan noted with a glint of approval in her eyes, "You haven't even made use of your bond to illicit that response."

"Bond…?" Buffy asked, eyes suddenly landing on Xander accusingly, watching as the boy had the decency to look away.

"Of course there's a bond, child," Morrigan stated, her words flowing with an condescending amusement, "There's a reason I call you his pet, remember? He MADE you. As such, there is of course a bond. But our dear Alexander is far too much of a knight, even if he bears shadow stained armor."

"You know I hate being called that," the male Darkstalker grumbled just a bit, eying the woman in the emerald bikini.

"Yes, yes," Morrigan waved her hand airily, "Now off with you, its time for some nice girl time, why don't you go see that Watcher and make sure he knows to behave?"

Snorting softly, Xander rolled his eyes just a bit, "Try not to traumatize her too much."

"I make no promises," the succubus shot back, grinning down right evilly at Buffy as she made a negligent gesture towards the boy with her wrist, "Now, scoot!"

"Yeah, yeah," he shrugged just a bit, then was gone.

"Now, then…" Morrigan's countenance suddenly shifted, the playful demeanor gone as she studied the site her brother had so recently vacated, "It's time, my dear, that you and I had a little talk about how you're treating my little brother."

Buffy gulped, audibly as she had a sudden, sinking feeling that she was NOT going to be enjoying this talk.

*-*-*

"Heya, G-man!"

"Damnation, Xander, how many times must I tell you to not call me by that infernal nickname?" the Watcher was glaring at the boy standing in his doorway, watching the amused smirk on his lips.

"At least, oh…" the boy paused, making a visible mental calculation before shrugging slightly, "A few centuries worth of times left?"

"How droll," the man shot back, before stepping away from the door and arching a brow, waiting for the boy to enter.

"What, no invitation Sir Tweeds-a-lot?" the boy smirked slightly in amusement as he took a step forward, crossing the threshold in one smooth step, "What would they think of such horrible manners back in the land of tea and crumpets?"

"That certain allowances must be made when dealing with you yanks, especially the teenagers among you," the Brit shot back, lips curling back into a slight smirk of superiority, "So, what brings you here, on this fine summer day?"

"Well, got some news for you," Xander responded with a shrug, "You might want to sit down and have your glasses in their pre-wiping position."

"Really Xander, I doubt what you're going to tell me will be THAT shocking," the man chuckled in response as he gestured towards the couch, "Why don't you have a seat?"

"Well, I tried to warn you," Xander responded with a shrug as he slid down into the seat, leaning back with a slight smirk on his face as he continued, "The Princess of Makai, the Heir of the House of Aensland, the daughter of Belial is coming to Sunnydale and is going to be attending classes come fall."

Giles stared blankly at the boy in front of him for a long moment, his eyes glazed and frozen, before he slowly responded, "You're telling me… That one of the most powerful Darkstalkers in existence is coming to the Hellmouth… to attend HIGH SCHOOL!?"

"Ayup," Xander agreed with a nod, "Told you, that you'd want to sit down for it."

"Good Lord!" the man slumped down, his eyes dazed for a moment before he tried to focus on the boy in front of him, "We are talking about the Hedonist Princess, Morrigan Aensland, yes?"

"Mhm," the boy agreed with a casual nod of his head, his bemused smirk lingering on his lips as he watched the man work through what he'd been told.

"The 300 year old, green eyed, green haired, succubus?"

"Uh huh."

"Daughter of Belial?"

"The same."

"She who deflowered 20 monks in one night?"

"Allegedly."

"The…"

"G-Man," the boy cut him off, lips twitching slightly, "We can probably spend all day and well into the night going into her exploits and escapades. But yes, THAT Morrigan Aensland."

"Good Lord, I have to tell Buffy!" the man, looked around in a near panic, "If she tries anything…"

"Buffy already knows," Xander said neutrally, his eyes diverted slightly as he shifted nervously in his seat.

"What? How?"

"Last I heard, they were sunning themselves together at Buff's Dad's place," Xander responded neutrally.

"Good Lord, you left her alone with… With…" Gile's face became ashen as he trembled slightly, "Do you have any idea what you've done!? That woman is a menace!"

"Yes, I know," Xander responded sourly, "Oh, believe me, I KNOW… But, you're going to have to keep from telling your Council about this."

"What…!? The Council should be informed at once!" Giles sputtered back, his eyes wide with disbelief, "This is the kind of thing…"

"Where all they could do, is make the situation worse," Xander finished for him, "Do you REALLY want to have to deal with her if they manage to Piss her off?" he paused a moment shuddering slightly, "Or, the repercussions of what would happen if they actually managed to DO something to her? An entire Kingdom of Darkstalkers, suddenly declaring WAR on the Council."

"Well, I do suppose, you ah, have a, ah, point," the man conceded, before suddenly looking sharply at Xander, "How the bloody hell do you know all this?!"

"Hmm," Xander made a show of checking his watch, "I really should have made a bet about how long it would take you to get to that."

"Xander…" there was a warning growl coming from the man's throat as he glared down at the boy in front of him.

"What?" the boy was chuckling just a bit as he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms about his chest, "Come on, G-man, use that big British brain of yours!"

"Xander…" again the name was repeated, his eyes narrowing even further.

"It works better if you use my actual name," the boy mentioned idly, brow quirking up just a bit, "Alexander."

"… Alexander…" look of confused recognition passed the man's face, brow scrunching up for a moment, "Now why does that seem…"

A look of dawning horror suddenly spread across the man's face as he immediately began to stumble backwards and away from the boy, "No! That's… It's impossible!"

"Blame that damned vampire that called himself the 'Master,'" Xander offered with a lopsided grin, "I am."

"I need a drink," Giles stated suddenly, "Yes, I definitely need a very large drink."

"I know the feeling," Xander said sympathetically, "I've been wanting one since last night when my sister showed up."

"But… what about Willow? I was under the impression she'd known you since primary!" Giles spoke up, staring at the boy in front of him.

" She has," Xander agreed readily, "I was trying to lead a nice, quiet, mortal life," the boy paused before shrugging just a bit, "How was I supposed to know that the Slayer was gonna move here when I was in High School?"

"Ah, yes, right…" the man slowly nodded his head in acquiescence, "Is there anything else I should know while I'm rather comfortably numb from the shock of all this?"

"Well…" Xander shifted nervously for a moment, before coughing into his hand, "You see, there's uh, kinda a new Slayer out there."

"But, Buffy…" the man immediately began to protest.

"What I am about to tell you, does NOT leave this room, this house, does not reach ANY other ears, or eyes," Xander's voice had suddenly dropped to a glacial chill as his eyes locked onto Giles' own, "ESPECIALLY to the Council. Am I CLEAR?"

"I… ah, yes, I do understand," the man nodded, flustered again at seeing the sudden change in the boy in front of him.

"Buffy died in the Master's cave," Xander said softly, his eyes distant for a moment, before hardening, "But, not because she drowned. She was still quite easily revivable by a variety of mundane techniques," he paused a moment, letting his words sink in before he continued, "She died, because that little parasite called the Slayer Spirit, ripped out her soul to get away, the first chance it got."

"What? None of the chronicles even suggest…" he began, his eyes blinking wildly as the accusation in Xander's words poured into him.

"The Slayer Spirit is an abomination, a nasty, demonic parasite that feeds on the lives of the girls it possesses, destroying them from within," Xander clarified, "That it is inflicted on innocent girls, is nothing short of a crime. And if the courts of Makai ever get their hands on them…"

"Yes, well, they have been rather, um, dead for quite some time," Giles pointed out, coughing just a bit as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"If only that were true," Xander sighed with a tinge of regret, "Then their souls could be handled in whatever hell they'd been damned to. Instead, they ran and hid outside of time."

"…Outside of time?" the man asked in absolute confusion.

"Mhm, so they can sit there, watching, like the damned voyeurs they are, as their creation destroys one girl after another," Xander made a face before sighing, "And there's not a damned thing anyone can do about it currently."

"Please explain to me then, what all this has to do with Buffy?"

"Buffy's no longer The Slayer," Xander responded casually, "She's a Darkstalker."

Giles stared at him blankly for a moment, before standing up and silently making his way over to the a cabinet. Opening it up, he drew out a crystalline decanter, and poured a generous amount of brandy into a waiting glass, before walking back over to the boy. Placing the glass down in front of Xander, the Watcher settled himself once more into his seat, before taking a deep swig directly from vessel.

"Bloody Hell," was his own response a moment later when he settled the decanter back down once more.

"An adequate summary," Xander responded as he took a sip from his glass, "Mmm good cognac."

"You turned the bloody Slayer into a Darkstalker!" Giles was staring at for a moment, pausing slightly as his eyes widened a bit more, "OH BLOODY-! You're a sodding prince! And you turned MY Slayer into a Darkstalker you wanker!"

"Yes," Xander admitted as he took another sip of the cognac, "And if you want to be absolutely technical about it… well, you see… um."

"In the eyes of Makai, she's the bloody pet of their Prince," the man took another slug of the cognac and grumbled softly.

"Ah, good, I thought we'd have to go through all the awkwardness of me having to explain that," Xander noted blandly as he sipped his drink once more, "Personally, I'd prefer to forget all about it. But, seeing as how Morrigan is now involved…"

"What is she?" he paused a moment, before glaring once more at the boy across from him, "For that matter what the hell are you?"

"Well, I thought that much would be obvious, G-Man," Xander smirked slightly, his eyes alight with a teasing mischief, "I mean, why else do you think Morrigan took such an interest in her?"

"Oh good lord," Giles immediately took another swig from the decanter, " Please, PLEASE tell me you're joking."

"Oh, but my dear G-Man," Xander shot back, a grin on his face, "I can't do anything of the sort. Let's just say, ole Sunnyhell High won't know what hit it come Fall."

"Retirement," Giles muttered under his breath, "Yes, that's the answer, in the South Pacific, far, far away from Hellmouths and Darkstalker Royalty."

"What, don't you love us anymore?" Xander asked, a slight pout on his lips as the words slipped out.

"You know, pouting isn't very becoming of a Prince your Highness," Giles responded stoically, his face an unreadable mask.

"Ack!" Xander immediately made a warding gesture, "Don't you know? Alexander Aensland's dead! I'm just plain ole, nothing special Xander Harris!"

"Of course," Giles responded back, a glimmer of mischief and mirth in his eyes, before his lips pursed seriously, "Xander Harris, who has created a teenaged succubus out of a Californian Slayer."

"Eh heh…" Xander blinked a moment, before sipping at his cognac again, "Not buying it huh?"

"Not bloody likely," he paused a moment, before eying the boy up and down slowly, "You're an incubus aren't you?"

"What was your first clue?" the boy shot back, a splash of sarcasm in his words, "My sister, the succubus? Or, maybe that that's what Buffy became when I gave her a good portion of my power to keep her alive? Or, maybe it's the fact that that's what Aenslands are?"

"Cheeky bugger, aren't you?" Giles grumbled slightly as he glared back at the boy.

"Giles, I've screwed more British birds than you have," Xander shot back, grinning wickedly, "So, don't think I don't know the slang."

"Don't be too damned sure of that," the man responded, a sudden, rakish grin passing his lips as his eyes faded towards the past, "I can remember…" he pause, shaking his head with a slight, rueful sigh, "Ah, but never mind, the indiscretions of youth."

"Usually the best kind," Xander responded with a waggle of his brow, "Why, I remember these twins back in the mid 18th century in China…"

*-*-*

"Mmm Bored now," a blonde haired Morrigan noted as she strutted next to Buffy through a cemetery, "I thought we were supposed to be doing something fun?"

"Well, generally there's a vampire or two that pops up by now," Xander noted casually, before smirking slightly, "If only to stand broodily in the distance, drooling over the Buffster here like a wankin' stalker."

"One, you've been spending too much time around Giles," Buffy pointed out, before suddenly making a face, "And two? EW! I know you don't like Angel…"

"The fact that I had to force him down into the caves speaks for itself," Xander noted sagely.

"But, he has been there for me," she paused, before reluctantly admitting, "For the most part."

"Because, we all know, sitting at home, brooding in your apartment while the girl you stalk regularly is walking off to a supposed certain doom is being there for you," Xander snarked with an amused smirk, before casually running his eyes laviciously over Buffy's body, "But, mmm… I have no clue why it's so quiet tonight, looking like that, you'd think the vamps would be falling over themselves for a taste."

As Buffy blushed brightly, Morrigan rolled her eyes before putting on a mock offended pout, "What am I? Chopped liver?"

"Nope, just my sister," Xander shot back, "And that's way too many kinds of disturbing," he paused a moment before rolling his eyes, "Speaking of disturbing, gonna come on out, Deadboy?"

"How'd you know I was here?" Angel asked suspiciously as he stepped out from behind a tree.

"I could smell your excessive worship of the gods of hairgel," Xander responded in a deadpan voice, "Which, would explain why we haven't seen any other vamps tonight, the smell alone..."

"Xander," Buffy elbowed him with a sigh of exasperation before she noticed how her other companion had gone completely rigid, "Something wrong, Mor?"

"Who's your…" Angel started, before he got a good look at the woman next to Buffy, and paled even more than he was usually, taking half a step back, "... Morrigan...?!"

"Wait... you know Angel?" Buffy asked in confusion.

"Well, considering her tone," Xander paused before making a face, "I'm going to exceedingly unpleasant mental places... EWWWWWW!"

"You could say that, Elizabeth," Morrigan's voice was ice cold as she glared angrily at the vampire in front of her, "And we WILL be having proper words about just what kind of 'man,'" she practically spit the word out of her mouth, "I use that term in the loosest sense, he is. Isn't that right Liam?"

"Wait, Deadboy here is THAT Liam?" Xander spoke up, his eyes wide before he suddenly pulled out a shovel from somewhere, "Ooooh, Mr. Shovel wants to have a word with you Mr. Abuser-of-Haircare-Products."


End file.
